title: Vitamin D status, adiposity, and lipids in black American and Caucasian children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between vitamin D status, total and abdominal adiposity, and lipids in black and white children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], adiposity [body mass index (BMI), percentage of total body fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), sc adipose tissue (SAT)], and fasting lipids were assessed in healthy obese and nonobese 8- to 18-yr-old black and white children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 237 children (mean ± sd age, 12.7 ± 2.2 yr; 47% black, 47% obese, and 43% male). Mean 25(OH)D concentration for the entire cohort was 19.4 ± 7.4 ng/ml. The majority of the children were vitamin D deficient [25(OH)D < 20 ng/ml; 73% blacks, 40% whites]. Plasma 25(OH)D was associated inversely with BMI, BMI percentile, percentage of total body fat, VAT, and SAT and positively with HDL cholesterol in the entire cohort. VAT was higher in vitamin D-deficient whites, and SAT was higher in vitamin D-deficient blacks compared with their respective vitamin D-nondeficient counterparts. Race, season, pubertal status, and VAT were independent significant predictors of 25(OH)D status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In black and white youth examined together, lower levels of 25(OH)D are associated with higher adiposity measures and lower HDL. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher VAT in whites and greater SAT in blacks. Besides therapeutic interventions to correct the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in youth, benefits of vitamin D optimization on adiposity measures and lipid profile need to be explored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224, USA.
authors.forename: Kumaravel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rajakumar
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de las Heras
authors.forename: Tai C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: SoJung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Holick
authors.forename: Silva A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Arslanian
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D044383:Black People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004100:Dihydroxycholecalciferols / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000502:physiology*; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D004100:Dihydroxycholecalciferols; D008055:Lipids; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D